A Breath of Fresh Air
by Artificiary
Summary: He'd thought there was no hope left- they all did. But then there she was- this girl who may have been a part of nature herself. She showed up, revived that old farm... and saved them all. (Cover image temporary!)


Hello everybody, Artificiary here, and boy has it been a long time. Last time I uploaded anything was back in 2013 (embarrassingly old writing!). I figured it was good time to maybe start writing again, and what's better than our good ol' Harvest Moon?  
Honestly this story kind of just occurred to me during a dream after a late night playing Animal Parade, and I just kinda decided to run with it! If you like it, let me know! And if you all think there's anything I could do to make my writing more enjoyable for you all? Let me know about that too! I'm a bit worried it'll be a bit...slow at first? Author's notes will be at the end of chapter after this first one, so see y'all on the other side!

And without further adieu- let's start the story!

* * *

It was no surprise that his coffee was bland and cold that morning. It always was- just as Castanet itself had become bland and cold. The wind no longer blew, and left the air stiff and stale. The fires no longer lit, leaving winters desolate and food… less than satisfactory- to most of the residents. The tide no longer came in and out, and the fish that were once in the waters ran silent. Silent, and unmoving, too, did the boats become. The land was dying, too… crops wouldn't hold in the poor soil and trees weren't growing back. Nothing was growing but dead brown weeds. And the people of the island themselves…

Sighing and slumping back in his chair, the Wizard of Castanet took another long sip of the cold coffee in his hands. So many of the town had already left. Some, to find help, to make enough to save the island, their homes… the others had simply lost hope. Castanet left nothing for them anymore- and the Wizard could see the hearts dying in the rest of the villagers that remained. All it took was a look in his crystal ball.

 _He'd been on this island for longer than any of the other…mortal, residents. He- and perhaps too, the witch that lived in Fugue Forest- were older than near anyone, save for perhaps… the Harvest Goddess herself. And perhaps, the long forgotten King. He remembered when the Goddess breathed life into this land, so long ago. The Witch remembered too- they'd been closer, then. But when the vibrant land brought the first islanders to its doorstep, they'd grown apart. The humans weren't fond of a prankster who could only control her magic in the best of circumstances. They shunned her failures, and so Fugue had become her home… and he had stayed with the humans._

 _Centuries had seen him alongside these mortals he could barely remember. Reverent of the land and of its sprites, and of the Goddess herself. But mortals were just that… mortals. And so they forgot. The Wizard watched them forget his name- forget what he was. A mere…fortune teller, now. They no longer visited. He no longer left his home unless necessary. They forgot the Goddess in all but name, and they forgot the sprites. So caught up in their infrastructure and expansion, they no longer believed… and so the sprites and the magic song of their bells upon the mountaintops became lost. And once the magic of the bells faded away, so too did the old instruments, and the Wizard watched the once vibrant, lifeful land fade away into what it had been before the Goddess breathed life and hope into it. He watched her Tree die, too… and her magic with it._

 _The old stories said you'd either die a hero, or live long enough to become the villain. The Wizard thought there was something fitting to that, considering. The heroes… the hope- they died long ago. And their surviving bloodlines had changed; long enough to bring destruction to the life their ancestors had nurtured…_

The Wizard sighed again, shaking his head to clear his mind of old thoughts and old times. He moved to take a drink of his coffee, only to find the cup empty. The sigh this time was more frustrated than anything, and finally he stood from his chair. Glancing one last time at the ancient journal lying ignored on his desk, the man shook his shaggy pale hair, and shuffled quietly to the window, drawing his weathered cloak closer about his shoulders. The winter was getting worse.

Snow continued to fall gracefully across the streets, already blanketed in the white wonder. There was no wind to blow the flurries, of course… and that was the only thing the Wizard found himself grateful for at the moment. It was cold enough, without the fireplaces lighting anymore… or anything lighting, really. If there had been a wind driving this snow storm… well. Winter was already biting as it was, without the help. The jade eye visible from the hair covering his face peered out the frost covered window; when he saw no children playing, no…anybody, he retreated back to the dull cold of his unlit house.

Only stopping before his crystal ball, the Wizard sighed, lowering the hood of his cloak. "…Is…it worth…it?" he murmured, more to the ball, than anyone. He closed his eyes, a tired breath escaping his lips, and moved his hands to rest on the ball. "Show me…the hearts… of the villagers."

Respondent to its master's touch, the crystal ball slowly flared to life, light dancing under the Wizard's fingertips. Images, scents and feelings slowly came to his mind, as he relaxed his body. The faint bitterness of cold and hopelessness made the man's mouth sour, and a frown pursed his lips. As always… the few remaining hearts of the villagers were cold, quiet… even the children held no semblance of the joy they might have generations ago. Just the ugly feeling of disappointment. Frowns, and dull eyes, and reddened, cold noses flickered from the images the crystal ball provided, and the Wizard finally shook his head.

 _It would seem… that future has no change of course, for this land…_ he thought to himself. The land would continue to die, and wither away… until there was nothing- not even the Harvest Goddess, left. Biting back one last hope, the Wizard opened his eyes to look at the ball before him again. A single command… more a request- even a pensive question, than anything- left his lips. "…The…future…?"

He did not go unrewarded.

Slowly as ever, the crystal ball lit up again on its velvet cushion, bringing with it the emotions and senses of what was to come, for the fate of the island of Castanet. For a while, he felt nothing… the same bitter emptiness that always came with this fruitless question. The hearts became less and less, and he realized even more would come to leave this island… His third eye searched for the goddess. She felt…weaker than ever, the sprites all but gone. _…So soon..?_ He thought quietly, frown deepening. _She has…not much time left…_ he expanded his search to the rest of the island- and that's when he found it. Or… felt it, rather.

The crystal ball had just focused his gaze over the long forgotten fields where farmers had once sown life into the ground, expecting dead weeds and dried dirt where the snow had melted. Instead, coursing up his fingers, the Wizard felt a breeze soak into his bones- strawberries and the crisp scent of fresh flowers and hope. He let go of the ball in surprise, and found himself gazing in shock at the scrying instrument as the coolness of the refreshing breeze left his skin. A single… no- two. _Two_ \- pinpricks of hope… of life!

Silently, the Wizard returned to the window, gaze looking past Ocarina Inn, past Choral Clinic… off into the distance beyond the town where he knew the fields lay abandoned. "…So Spring _does_ bring…new life…when Winter thaws…" he hummed.

Although he didn't notice, the Wizard was smiling.


End file.
